History of the City Government

Legislative Branch of City Government
As established in the 1969 City Charter, the mayor and City Council comprise the legislative branch of the City government. The City Council acts on ordinances and resolutions, approves the annual tax rate and operating budget, and generally makes policy for the overall operation of the City.

Past Mayors
Burleson has had numerous mayors who have volunteered time and energy in providing leadership for the growth and modernization of the City. Past mayors and their years of service include:

City's Daily Operation Responsibilities
The daily operation of the Town of Burleson, now the City of Burleson, had been the responsibility of the City Secretary until 1969 when the Home Rule Charter was adopted by the citizens. Since that time, the City Manager, appointed by the City Council, serves as the chief administrative official of the City and is responsible for the overall operation of the City Administration.

Past City Secretaries & City Managers
The City Secretaries and then the City Managers are as follows:

City Secretaries - Up to 1969

G.W. Dobson, 1912

W.R. Taylor, 1913-1914

C.C. Taylor, 1915-1919

T.A. Jenkins, 1920

A.H. Loyless, 1921-1933, 1935

R.W. Levey, 1934, 1936, 1938

J.T. Scott, 1937

N.L. Clark, 1939-1948

Boyd Scott, 1949-1954

Ray Bentley, 1954-1967

Homer Barns, 1969

City Managers - After 1969

D.R. Ward, 1970

Frank A. Proctor Jr., 1971-1973

Homer Barns, 1974

Ronald W. Harmon, 1974-1976

James R. England, 1976-1979

Mark P. Sowa, 1979-1983

Ron Crabtree, 1984-1988

Jack Eades, 1988-1992

Kay Godbey, 1993-2001

Bill Davison, 2001-2006

Curtis Hawk, 2006-2012

Dale Cheatham, 2012-present

Current Role of the City Secretary
The position of city secretary has continued since the charter change in 1969. The duties of the City Secretary are as historian of the City, providing continuity as elected officials change, processing governmental action to meet legal mandates and implementing the record policies of the City.